Right now, we were waiting on Nerissa—who’d texted about fifteen minutes ago saying she was “two minutes away.”Two minutes my ass.We'd been sitting here for half-an-hour now.But it was just classic Rissa; she couldn't show up early if her life depended on it.
“Are we really surprised?”Ariyo asked, stretching.“The woman lives in a different universe.”
“She better—” As if summoned, Jesse’s eyes flicked up toward the door.“Speaking of the devil, there she is.”
I dragged my attention toward the entrance, watching Nerissa strut in without a care in the world.
“About time, dammit.I'm hungry,” Ari grumbled.
“Whenaren'tyou hungry?”
“Are we doing this, Jax?”Ari narrowed his eyes.“Because I can take it there if you want to take it there.”
I threw a smirk at Jesse, who just shook his head and maneuvered to look at the live band.My eyes drifted back to the door as I lifted the beer to my lips, and I froze.Everything shifted the second my eyes drifted to the woman walking in.
Savannah.
I watched as she slipped out of her coat and talked with Nerissa, giving me every opportunity to take her in.Her hair was loose tonight, falling over her shoulders in soft waves.She wore a short black dress that looked like it existed solely to torture me—long legs, smooth skin, that shy way she kept adjusting the strap on her shoulder.
Tonight she wasn’t the stuck-up, polished law student or the library nerd I knew years ago.No, tonight she was the definition of sensuality—warmth tucked into curves, doing things to my concentration.
Nerissa said something as she hung their jackets, and Savannah’s gaze lifted—straight to me.
She froze.
My chest tightened.
Emotions tumbled over each other in her eyes, moving quickly from recognition, to shock, to panic, and settling on annoyance.Those beautiful eyes narrowed on me before she finally turned back to Nerissa.
Ariyo let out a low whistle.“Dude.Duuude.Guess who finally got Skai as a client?”
“Yeah?”I heard Jesse ask.
My eyes followed Savannah, watching her go back and forth with Nerissa, watching the way her eyes kept darting in my direction.Under that initial annoyance, I could tell she was nervous by the way she was subtly fidgeting with the ends of her dress.
Nerissa must've said something right, because she was dragging Savannah to the bar.
“—and then things kind of fell into place.Bro, shelovedthe piece I showed her.Jax, did you… Jaxon?”
“Huh?”I forced my gaze back to the table.
“You didn't hear a word we said, did you?”
“Course I did.”I downed the last of my drink in one swallow and stood.“Next round's on me.”
Ariyo shouted something about the waitress coming over, but I was already moving.
My focus narrowed to her like the rest of the room had gone underwater.
She stood at the bar with her back to me, posture straight, ankles crossed, fingers tapping nervously against the counter.She was trying so hard to look composed when I could practically feel her nerves humming through the air.
I slipped through the crowd, stopped just close enough that my chest nearly brushed her back, and planted a hand on either side of her—caging her in without touching her.
She went still.Perfectly, deliciously still.
“Hey, Rissa,” I greeted casually, then waved the bartender over and ordered the next round.
Nerissa shot me a knowing smirk.“Pretty boy.”
